Easy Christmas Pudding Recipe

I was incredibly daunted by the thought of making my own Christmas Pudding. I am not a huge dried fruit fan so leave the cake (which I dislike)  to my mother in law or my own mum. The pudding I usually buy. I think there are so many lovely ones in the shops that it is almost not worth the bother of steaming one for six hours. But I’m so glad I did because I’ve just uncovered mine after its six hours and piggled a little bit off the top.

Oh goodness me.

The beauty of Christmas Pudding recipes is that you can pick and choose what you’d like to put in. When you buy one sometimes they might have a bit of a crunch to them. I prefer mine to be soft through and through. I also like the dense-ness you get when you add Guinness or Stout as opposed to the alcoholic sherry taste.

This recipe will provide you with enough mixture for two 2 pint pudding bowls. Incidently this is an old recipe adapted from my mum and Marguerite Patten.

• 1lb/455g  raisins
• 12oz/340g sultanas
• 12oz/ 340g currants
• 4oz/115g glace cherries chopped
• 2oz/55g  mixed chopped nuts
• 2oz/55g plain flour
• 2 tsps mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• 8oz/225g sugar (white or brown)
• 8oz/225g fresh white breadcrumbs
• Grated rind lemon
• 4oz/115g suet (I used the lighter version)
• 4 eggs
• ¼ pint Guinness
• 1 grated apple (no need to peel)

Optional

• 1 grated carrot
• handful of chopped prunes
• 4 oz/115g candied peel
• 2oz/55g desiccated coconut

You could also use any sort of stout instead of Guinness. Or whiskey or an ale. If you don’t like the thought of alcohol at all use milk or orange juice.

Method

• Mix together all the fruit and nuts.
• Sieve flour and spices and add to fruit mixture with sugar, breadcrumbs, cherries and suet.
• Beat eggs and Guinness (or whiskey/ale/milk/juice) into the mixture. Add variations if using. (My mum used to put everything in. More the merrier, she says.)
• Stir well and leave overnight, then stir again and make a wish.
• Add coins if using (clean them with coca cola.)
• Place into greased pudding basin. Either one 4 pint, two 2 pint, or 4 small.
• Cover first with greaseproof paper with a pleat, then with foil. If you aren’t sure how to do this BBC Good Food has a fantastic video to show you how.
• Steam for 4-8 hours according to size.
• Uncover and leave to cool.
• Then recover with paper and foil and store until required. On Christmas Day steam for 3 hours or microwave for 5 mins on full power (remove foil cover and replace with cling film)

Serve with brandy butter or sauce or rum sauce or custard.